Last



Patented Apr. 19, 1927.

PATENT OFFICE WILLIAM F. BECKER, OF PELI-IAM, NEW YGRK, ASSIGNOR TO THENEW YORK LAST COMPANY, or NEW YORK, N. Y.,

A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

LAST.

Application filed February instep portion.

in lasts of the type to which my invention relates the heel is providedwith a thimble hole for jacking the last, and between this thimble holeand the rear face of the last with a bore for receiving a nail, screw orother fastening means for attaching wooden heels to sho esbeing-manufactured upon the last.

The last in manufacturing shoes is necessarily subjected to very roughusage and in certain stages of the manufacture of shoes it is necessaryto drive the last into the shoe. The driving or hammering is done on therear face of the last, and inasmuch as the last has been weakened by thethimble hole and bore, above referred to, the last is soon cracked orcrushed so as to be useless.

It is an objectof invention, therefore, to so construct the last heelthat this cracking and crushing of the heel are overcome or at leastreduced to a minimum. To this end, therefore, I interpose means betweenthe thimble hole and the rear face of the last heel which will enablethe last to successfully withstand hammering and rough usage withoutbeing crushed or cracked.

More specifically, I provide a fibre or other resilient pad on the upperface of the heel structure, my improved means co-operating with this padin such a way that the shock of the hammer blows is taken up by myimproved structure and the pad, instead of being absorbed entirely bythe wood of the last. Inasmuch as the heel bore is intermediate thethimble hole and the rear face of the last, I insert my reinforcingmember in the heel bore, thereby not only accomplishing my purpose butproviding at the same time a guide for the drill or other tool which ispassed down through this bore into the heel of the shoe, and means forpreventing injury to this bore.

In the preferred embodiment of my invention I employ a metal ferrulewhich I insert in the heel bore, this ferrule being provided with anenlarged head embedded in the fibre pad, above referred to, so that theshock of a hammer blow will be absorbed by the ferrule and paid.Inasmuch as the wood of the last expands and contracts more or less un-19, 1926. Serial No. 89,288.

der atmospheric changes, I only project the ferrule part way through theheel bore, having the upper part only of the heel bore enlarged for thispurpose so as to provide a shoulder or abutment about midway of the heelbore against which the ferrule is driven. This effectually preventsfurther movement of the ferrule into the bore, and also prevents thelower end of the ferrule from projecting beyond the lower end of theheel bore when the last shrinks, to eliminate all danger of the ferruleinjuring the shoe. Movement of the ferrule in an upward or outwardposition with respect to the heel bore is prevented by prviding theferrule with spurs, which cut into the wood of the last and henceprevent its upward or outward movement.

I11 the accompanying drawing I have illustrated an embodiment of myinvention- Figure 1 showing the heel part of my improved last partly insection, with my improvement incorporated therein; and s Fig. 2 is anenlarged view of the ferrule which I employ.

Referring to the drawings in detail, 1 designates a Wooden last, and 2the heel thereof. The upper face of the heel structure is provided witha pad 3 of fibre, leather, or some similar resilient material. The forepart of this resilient pad and the heel 2 are provided with a thimblehole 4 and thimble 5. This thimble hole passesabout half way onlythrough the last, and is provided for receiving a last jack in theoperation of jacking the last.

Intermediate the thimble hole l and the rear face 6 of the last, and inline with the thimble hole 4, I provide a heel bore 7 this bore passingdown through the pad 3 and the wood of the last heel, from the upperface 8 of the last heel to and through the lower face 9 of the lastheel.

To prevent cracking and crushing of the last from hammer blows on therear face 6 thereof, the upper part 10 of the bore 7 is enlarged toprovide a shoulder 11 approximately midway of the bore, and in thisenlarged upper part of the bore I insert a metal ferrule 12, having anenlarged head 13 which is sunk into the resilient pad 3, and with spurs14 along its body extending outwardly and upwardly with respect to thelong axis of the ferrule. 'lfhese Spurs eitteetually prevent thelei-rule 'troni Working out oil the bore.

It will be seen li'on'i the :l'oregoing that l have provided a lastructure in Which cracking or crushingot the last due to the lasthaving; been wadzened by the heel here is etlectually prevented by theprovision of the metal ferrule 12, the ehocl; of the hammer hlou's onthe laet heel l einr g aheorhed by the ferrule and the rer iiliont pa l3.

lt will he econ aleo that my improved last has: heen so constructed thatthe ehoe rannot he injured by the lei-rule, the letter with this in mindhaving been purpoeel made shor er than the depth o l the heel of thelast, thereby permitting; the wood of the last to expand and contractwithout danger oil the end ol the ferrule projecting beyond the lowerface of the last.

'lhis application is a continuation in part of ni application Serial No.7025,3516 filed April 1, 1l. il-l;.,

ll'hat I claim is:

it last comprising a WOOtlcll heel structure, said heel being providedwith a bore extending vertically thereof troni the upper lace thereof toand through the lower or bottom lace, an internal shoulder in said boreintermediate the ends thereof, a resilient pad on the upper face 0t saidlast, and a headed metal terrule lying in saitl bore and pro rided withintegral means for preventing Withdrawal, tle lower end of the ferruleterniihating; short of the bottom taco of the lar-it and abutting saidshoulder, the head rout he; upon and being set into said pad.

"lhie specification signed this 15th clay of llelnuary 1926.

WILLIAM P. BECKER.

